To kick off the new year, we're setting aside our usual presenter/panel format to provide a session that invites the attendees to discuss the topic. The SIG's organizers. Paul Wcislo and David Snyder, will introduce the evening's discussion and David will facilitate. If you've been to previous Healthcare IT SIG meetings, you know that we have a pretty knowledgable group of attendees and that we can have spirited discussions.

To get you thinking, please take a look at some or all of the six documents posted in the Files area of the SVForum Healthcare IT SIG Meetup site (http://www.meetup.com/SVForum-HealthcareITSIG/files/). Then post a comment at the Meetup site and come prepared to discuss your perspective. If you want, upload other relevant material in the Meetup Files area and mention it in a comment, so others can look at it before the meeting.

• The Health IT Landscape in the States: Through the Lens of the State CIO, June 2013

• A Health IT Framework for Accountable Care, CCHIT (2013)

A couple of questions we may address include:

• Now that Electronic Medical Records adoption and the implementation of the Health Insurance Marketplaces under the Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare") are largely underway, where do we see the next big areas of activity in Healthcare IT?

• Two obstacles to healthcare IT adoption that have been cited in recent SIG meetings are "fragmentation in the industry" and "regulatory uncertainty." Are these still the main concerns, or are there other impediments to the growth of healthcare IT?

This would also be a good time to bring up any other pressing issues in Healthcare IT that you would like to discuss.

Ray has over twenty-five years of senior healthcare management experience. He has extensive operational management experience with academic and multi-specialty group practices, in developing physician-hospital joint venture organizations, information systems strategy and implementation, managed care, business operations, clinic operations and developing multi-specialty group practices.

Ray is the CEO for Heuristic Associates responsible for the design and implementation of methods and processes to better serve the underserved healthcare population. He is a faculty member of the High Performance Physician Institute. As a member of TTM Associates, he is responsible for the development of innovative strategies designed to enhance information systems adoption in physician practices. Previously, Ray worked at Health e Connex, Inc., a company focusing on providing necessary infrastructure to the health care industry; Imperial Technology Solutions, a division of the Imperial Bank; Camino Medical Group; Stanford University Clinic; Health Care Alternatives, Inc.; University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and UCSD Medical Group. Ray has also served on the faculties of The University of North Dakota and the University of California, San Diego.

Ray’s professional achievements include winning the Modern Healthcare Innovation Award for the Memorial Care project in 1998 and Laureate status in the 2002 Computerworld Heroes in Healthcare for his case study on the e-health environment. He is a member of the Board of Visitors, Pepperdine University, Seaver College.

He received his Bachelors of Science in Engineering and Management from the United States Air Force Academy and his Masters of Science in Economics and Finance from the University of North Dakota.

"CCI is a vital source of ideas, best practices, and funding for California's health care safety net."

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** IF YOU ARE A DEVELOPER OR INVENTOR AND WOULD BE INTERESTED IN A FIELD TRIP TO A LOCAL HOSPITAL, PLEASE CONTACT DAVID SNYDER (david@42tek.com). SPACE IS LIMITED, SO PLEASE PROVIDE BACKGROUND ON WHO YOU ARE AND WHY YOU ARE INTERESTED. (SEE SEPARATE MESSAGE WITH DETAILS) **